sorry i diddnt mean to post twice.

i found it, but GPU tempreture settings arent selectable here either

http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/404/mmcc7.jpg

Hmmm... I have been assured by our tech leader that all video-cards have temp-sensors.
Try:
UNticking the write-to-logfile and restrict file-size settings and see if that enables the other settings.
If not I would try un/reinstalling that ATI tray-tools.

If that does not work-- we'll rethink it.

no it diddnt work unfortunatly

Did you try both suggestions?

If so-- I am thinking that this is pointing towards your video-card being close to death.
You mentioned that the fan had been loud lately-- that is not a good sign... and neither is your temp-sensor not responding. I have this app on my PC --it works fine... and I can't beleive a 9600 does not come with a sensor. How old is the hardware ??

Yeah, ih8bills is right, all cards these days have temp sensors, including the 9600's. The older cards didn't need them because they never reached the kind of temperatures that cards these days reach. One thing I would also check, is to make sure that the headsink on the graphics card is free from dust, and there is nothing obstructing the flow of air. The card should ideally be in a slot, where there is no card in the next slot, where the fan is facing.

i did try both suggestions yeah

my card is roughly 2-3 years old i think. one thing i cant put my finger on is - if it is the graphic card thats causing the prob, then why did the lag not happen for about 3 monthes after a format? strange.

and about the fan, the noise is quite loud for about 5 minutes after i start up my pc, then it returns to normal, could that help?

anyways, i'll try cleaning the inside of the tower. any other ideas as to what i can do?